News Releases
The latest news and announcements from Mayor London N. Breed

Mayor London Breed Nominates Debra Walker to San Francisco Police Commission

Walker, who will replace former Police Commission president Malia Cohen, brings an equity lens and LGBTQ advocacy experience to the Commission

San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today nominated Debra Walker to the San Francisco Police Commission, the seven-member body charged with setting policy for the Police Department and the Department of Police Accountability (DPA) and conducting disciplinary hearings when police conduct charges are filed.

“It brings me great joy to nominate long-time community leader Debra Walker to the Police Commission. I am confident that her commitment to the people of San Francisco and deep understanding of the City’s complexities will serve this Commission well,” said Mayor Breed. “As we continue to make progress on police reform, we need leaders from diverse backgrounds who know how to bring people together to find solutions. Debra will ensure that every community has a voice at the table while this Commission seeks to be a national leader on advancing criminal justice policy.”

For the past 30 years, Debra has run her own business as an artist, living and working in one of San Francisco’s oldest artist cooperatives. As an active member of the San Francisco community, Debra has served as the past president of both the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club and the San Francisco Arts Democratic Club. Additionally, she has served on the board of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research center and has chaired the San Francisco Live Work and Arts task forces. Debra has also served as an officer in the Women’s Caucus and the LGBTQ Caucus of the California Democratic Party.

“I love our city, and although we have been working to address so many issues, people are still struggling on our streets. We all want solutions, and we know that San Francisco has some amazing ideas and programs aimed at public safety that are moving forward. This is a priority for our Mayor and for us all. I know I can help, and I’m honored to be the Mayor’s nominee to the Commission,” said Debra Walker.

Debra has also served as a tenant representative on the Building Inspection Commission, where she worked to institutionalize the Code Enforcement Outreach Program by convening tenant and landlord organizations to support building owners in bringing their units up to code. Building on this work, she served on the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety, where she helped push forward an innovative model for resiliency.

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